with the advent of the shirtwaist, you began to get factories, big assemblies of workers.until this time, workers didn't know each other. they feared each other. "how much is he asking in other departments?" now they were all on one floor. because they could talk to each other, even though they were forbidden, they got to know each other, the prelude to organization. the international ladies' garment workers union started in 1900. but it took the immigrants, unsure of themselves, almost 10 years for dissatisfaction with low wages and bad working conditions to burst into flames. there was no use asking the boss for a raise. he used to laugh at you. and piecework, when we used to work, it used to be worse. the year was 1909. a notice had been issued of a meeting of all the shirtwaist makers in cooper union on november 22. at that point, a little girl-- that's the way it's generally told-- raised her hand and said, "i want to talk." they lifted her up. she said, "i've heard enough." she worked in diamond waist company. she says, "it's time for a general strike." benjamin feig